Meta

Month: June 2014

During the 1100s it was very fashionable for nobles to write poetry, strum a musical instrument and sing love songs. These singing minstrels were called troubadours. Quite often the nobles hired professional musicians to sing their songs for them. These professional musicians were called jongleurs. One of history’s well-known kings, Richard I of England, also known as Richard the Lion-Hearted, was one of these noble troubadours who hired a jongleur and together they created songs. When the Duke of Austria captured King Richard and hid him in a castle, the king’s former musical collaboration helped England find him. The jongleur searched high and low for the king, going to castles and standing outside, singing the songs that he and the king had composed together. One day outside a German castle, the jongleur sang the words to one of their songs. It was with great joy when he heard the voice of his captive king sing the next verse.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the historic novel The Celtic Prince Available here:

Some folks think they’re over the hill at thirty while some believe their best years are ahead at fifty. Our lives give us many hills to climb. Take note of the spunk Saint Patrick had. After studying for years to convert the Irish, he was sixty-years-old when he left to return to Ireland. Whether or not you appreciate Christianity or lament the demise of Paganism, there’s no denying this older fellow had an important role to play later in life. Saint Patrick was not Irish, his mother was French, but of all the Irish historical figures, he is the most beloved.

Suellen Ocean is the author of the historic novel The Celtic Prince Available here: